These cookies are what would happen if traditional roll-out sugar cookies married brownies and they had a baby. A brownie roll-out cookie baby. The are thick and sturdy but still soft and chewy. Deb (from Smitten Kitchen) says you can roll them 1/8″ or 1/4″ thick, but I agree with her that I like them better on thicker side. You will really be impressed with how well they roll-out and cut (unless of course you’re using XOXO cookie cutters which happen to be the biggest PIA ever).

For Valentine’s day I decided to skip the icing/frosting and leave ’em naked! 😉 But they are really ideal for royal icing. They would also make for an excellent ice cream sandwich cookie! Or the perfect pair for a cherry buttercream! Or you could follow Jesse’s lead and smear one with peanut butter then top with a second cookie. You really can’t go wrong with these versatile little cookies.

Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.

In a large bowl (or standing mixer) cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs, beat to incorporate. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Turn mixer to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Mix until a solid/smooth dough forms. Form dough into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for an hour.

While the dough is chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.

After chilling, place dough on a lightly floured surface (a pastry mat or sheet of parchment paper dusted with flour is perfect) and roll, using a lightly floured rolling pin, to 1/4-inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut dough into shapes. Combine and re-roll scraps as needed. Use as little flour as necessary for each step.

Place cut out cookies 2-inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8-11 minutes Allow to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to coll completely.

As much as I love rich and decadent chocolate desserts, I think it’s also important to balance your menu. So if you have really heavy dinner, you’re probably better off going with a lighter, more refreshing, dessert. Today I’m taking that lighter approach to Valentine’s day.

Sorbet is cold and refreshing and a nice lower-fat alternative to ice cream. But don’t confuse this sorbet with that neon rainbowy stuff from your childhood. This sorbet is PACKED with a sweet powerful strawberry punch and naturally has the most beautiful reddish-magenta color. It would really be the perfect finish to a heavy Valentine’s dinner.

*The recipe called for Kirsch but I didn’t have any (and didn’t want to buy some for a teaspoon!) so I used Grand Marnier (an orange liqueur) instead . It worked! It’s also such a tiny amount that you can omit entirely.

Pour the strawberries/sugar into the bowl of food processor (or blender). Add lemon juice and pinch of salt. Process until smooth. Press the pureed strawberries through a mesh sieve (strainer) to remove seeds. Cover the mixture and chill in refrigerator for several hours. Once chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.*

*I use the Kitchenaid standing mixer ice cream attachment. The bowl needs to freeze for 24 hours before it’s ready to make ice cream/sorbet. Once it’s ready, I attach the the bowl to the base and the paddle to the head. I turn the mixer to low and slowly pour in the mixture. Leaving the mixer on low I let it churn for 15-20 minutes.

As I promised on Facebook last week, this week is going to be full of Valentine’s worthy treats. Lots of pinks and reds. And of course some chocolate too!

These Individual Strawberry Brownie Tarts are the perfect dessert for impressing your Valentine. A rich and chocolatey brownie topped with a delicious (and simple!) cream cheese frosting, juicy strawberries, and drizzled with chocolate syrup. Decadent and impressive, but surprisingly easy! For the brownie I stuck with a simple one-bowl recipe. While the brownies were baking I cleaned out the bowl and used it for the simple frosting. If you realllly wanted you could make them just a few steps easier by using boxed brownie mix and store bought frosting, but you might find that the (very few) extra steps for the homemade version are worth it. And you can definitely use store bought chocolate syrup (like Hershey’s).

As for the “individual” part of this dessert – I used a this heart shaped mini-cake pan from Wilton. You could also use ramekins or even a regular muffin tin (making 12 instead of 6, so they aren’t too thick). Or if you don’t feel like messing with individual dessert you could also use a pie pan, tart pan, or spring-form pan. No matter which option you choose, I’m sure your Valentine will be impressed!!

Place butter in a medium microwave safe bowl and microwave just until the butter is melted (15-30 seconds depending on strength of microwave). Remove from microwave and add sugar, stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the vanilla and eggs, stir until combined. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, stir until combined. Finally stir in the chocolate syrup.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the edges just start to pull away from the pan. Allow to cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes, then carefully remove (if using a muffin tin or heart shaped pan to make individual tarts, flip out onto a cutting board). Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Directions
In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to beat cream cheese until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and start mixing at a lower speed and gradually work up to high speed. Add the vanilla and beat to combine. If needed, add tiny splashes of milk until the frosting reaches desired consistency. If it seems to runny, add more powdered sugar.

Hi! I’m Jessica. I love cooking, baking, eating, and talking about food. My goal is to make cooking and baking, even from scratch, seem approachable. If I can give just one person the boost they need to try something new in the kitchen, I’ll be happy.